Heretofore numerous types of soft drink dispensers have been known. It has previously been known to maintain a centralized carbonation unit for generating carbonated water or soda which is in turn circulated to various dispensing stations or pouring heads at various locations throughout an establishment. In such known systems, the soda and syrup pass in a bundle of tubes to the various dispensing stations, with the soda tubes making a full loop through a recirculating pump such that the soda itself is continually recycled to and from the dispensing stations. The desire of the prior art has been to maintain the carbonation level of the soda, maintain the soda at a low temperature, and by bundling the soda and syrup tubes together, to similarly maintain the syrup at a desired low temperature.
In the known prior art, there is no true recarbonation of the soda, but only a recirculation of the same. Such recirculation has been found to allow an escape of the entrained carbon dioxide from the soda, giving the soda a "flat" character, undesired in soft drinks. The prior art has failed to provide any auxiliary means for storing a reservoir of cold soda available for dispensing, while also recarbonating such soda to assure a proper carbonation level. The prior art has also failed to teach an efficient and effective means for recirculating soda to maintain desired temperature and carbonation levels. Additionally, the prior art has been devoid of a soda system utilizing a pressurized auxiliary tank to increase the capability of the beverage dispensing system to efficiently and effectively handle peak dispensing periods.